"How can you say that about me, Nathan? I never had a kid!" Aaron Fuller protests.

My wife, Jenny Green, stands protectively in front of him.

"That's enough! You can't slander Aaron just because you're jealous of him. Just you wait, Nathan. I haven't settled the score with you for calling Aaron this afternoon and insulting him!"

I spent years working on my mission to win over Jenny Green, the second female lead with a villain arc. At last, the points I earned added up to the number I'd been dreaming about.

I made it!

I was so excited that I nearly launched myself off the couch. I immediately tried to pull up the system's store in my head, ready to redeem that one-way ticket home.

At that moment, the robotic system notification rang out in my head, and the system spoke to me in a sickeningly sweet tone that sounded insincere.

"Dear Host, I have detected that your points have reached the required amount. Would you consider redeeming the 'World Guardian' renewal package? Sign up now to receive an S-Class item and the chance to participate even more actively in the next installment!

"You'll personally cultivate the Chosen One—your son in name. Stay here and accompany him. It will be a very meaningful choice!"

I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes.

World Guardian? The Chosen One?

Jenny and that precious son of hers, Ryan Green, were a pair of complete lunatics.

Ryan, that little brat, treated my belongings like his toys. Only yesterday, he tossed a pair of my bespoke leather shoes into the pool. And today, he used my tie to play tug-of-war with the dog.

As for Jenny, she would always just stand on the sidelines and brush me off with a simple excuse like "He's still young."

Then, she'd turn right around and check on her dearest lover, Aaron Fuller, to see if he was having a good day.

All the sacrifices I made and the effort I put into this family were worth even less than one of Aaron's sneezes.

Why the hell would I care about these people now?

"No! Redeem the one–way ticket home. I'm going home immediately!" I swiftly commanded the system without any hesitation.

But just then, the study door was flung open. Jenny stormed in and glared at me with reddened eyes.

"Nathan Burke! You're leaving?"

She strode forward, spreading her arms to block my way. After making it seem like she was devastated, she launched into her usual tactic of resorting to guilt-tripping and emotional blackmail.

"Can you act more like a responsible father? Do you really feel nothing for us?"

This again.

I stared at her expression, which was supposedly meant to convey that she was heartbroken over my decision. All the years of frustration and disgust that had built up inside of me finally reached the breaking point.

She wanted to know if I felt nothing, huh?

Sneering, I retorted, "The only thing I feel is joy that I'm finally going to be rid of you guys."

Before the words had even fully settled, I raised my hand and slapped her. The sound echoed in the otherwise silent room.

"Get out!" I snapped at her.

No one was going to stop me from going home!

That night, I locked my door and messaged Hugo Langdon. "It's done. I'm getting ready to go home."

Hugo replied at once. He sent me a string of cheering emoticons. "Nathan! You're finally going home!"

Hugo was the only friend I'd made after transmigrating into this world—and the only one like me. We were both unlucky enough to transmigrate here and be bound to systems that forced us to win over the leading characters of this world.

His target was the female lead whose heart belonged only to her beloved first love, while my target was the second female lead who was madly in love with the male lead.

Hugo and I were brothers in adversity. Neither one of us had it easier than the other.

As I was lamenting over our situation, Hugo sent me another text. "You don't have much time left. I just got a new mission here, too. It's a little tricky."

What new mission was that?

I was about to ask for details when the damned system notification rang out again, this time cold and utterly devoid of emotion.

"Warning! Target Jenny Green is experiencing an emotional breakdown. Her villain transformation gauge has reached 99%. World stability is under severe threat. Forced mission assigned. Before departure, you must stabilize the target's emotional state."

"Penalty for mission failure—the passage home will be permanently closed."

Before signing off, Hugo had reminded me, "You need to be careful, Nathan. Jenny is mentally unstable. She throws things at you whenever she feels like it, and she's been keeping Aaron on the side as her sugar baby. Don't do anything rash."

Being perfectly aware of that myself, I nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, ever since I refused the system's renewal package, it became all dejected and forlorn. Even its robotic tone seemed to carry a hint of weary resentment.

It didn't want me to leave, but I was adamant about leaving.

Just as I was about to lay my cards on the table with the system once and for all, the villa's front door flew open. Jenny strode in, radiating a frosty air.

There was something rather off about her today. Her usually attractive face was now dark and stormy, and her eyes were completely bloodshot.

Staring at me, she made her approach.

I couldn't be bothered to speak. I simply moved toward the kitchen to get her a glass of water like I always did—to go through the final motions one last time.

But she grabbed my wrist, her grip unexpectedly strong. "Nathan, I'm telling you right now that you'd better not even think about things you shouldn't. Just behave yourself and stay by my side. I won't mistreat you."

I looked down at my arm. Right beneath the cuff of my sleeve was a particularly eye-catching bruise. It was the "souvenir" I got after she threw a cup at me a few days ago when she was in a bad mood.

It seemed Jenny had a pretty poor understanding of what mistreatment was.

At my silence, Jenny released me and launched into an explanation on her own accord. "Nothing is going on between Aaron and me. I just admire his talents."

I snorted to myself. She had said the same thing a million times by now. I could practically recite it myself.

Back when Jenny and I got married, Aaron showed up in a white suit that looked more like a groom's outfit than mine did. He'd intimately held her hand, tilted his head, and looked me up and down as if I were a piece of filth.

"Who's this, Jenny?" he asked.

What had she said then?

She gently stroked his face and replied, "Someone unimportant."

From that moment on, all I felt toward this woman—and this mission—was numbness.

At that moment, a tiny figure came running toward us. Ryan shot over and hugged Jenny's legs. He raised his chin in the air and shouted at me with open disdain, "Stop trying to convince him, Mom! He's just jealous that Uncle Aaron is more talented and more handsome than he is!"

I looked at Ryan, the child I had raised with my own hands. It felt like an icy fist had clenched around my heart.

I didn't experience the suffering of carrying a baby to term. But Ryan had been a sickly child. I'd spent countless days and nights staying by his side, pulling all-nighters that left my eyes bloodshot from exhaustion.

I quit my job, gave up my career, and learned to cook nutritional meals. I woke up in the middle of the night just to check on him and keep an eye on his condition. I treated him as my only emotional anchor in this godforsaken place.

But now, the very person I considered my light in this world was turning against me.

"Let him leave!" Ryan kept rattling off. "He stays home all day and lives off you anyway. How could he ever compare to Uncle Aaron, who's excellent at everything?"

After transmigrating to this world, I'd admired Jenny's business acumen and gradually handed over control of the company to her. After Ryan was born, I left the company completely to focus on caring for our family.

It was only after Jenny spent all her time wooing Aaron that the last of my feelings died out. The mother and son had been the ones who made me think there was still a glimmer of hope in this darkness of despair. What a mockery it was to see this happening now.

I was shaking with rage. Ryan was a heartless and ungrateful boy. He was indeed cut from the same cloth as his mother.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I raised my hand and swung it at Ryan's pale, delicate face without pause.

The sharp sound of the slap made the entire living room fall into silence.

Ryan clutched his cheek, his eyes wide with shock.

Jenny also froze for a moment before exploding into a fit of rage. She screamed at me, "Nathan! What the hell is wrong with you? What did Ryan do wrong? All he did was say a few words to you! What's the big deal? How could you hit a child so hard!"

There she was, making it sound so insignificant. What son would dare to talk to his father like that, huh?

I'd been too kind to them this whole time.

Ryan finally snapped out of his shock. He threw himself into Jenny's arms and started wailing. "Mommy! Daddy hit me! I don't want him as my daddy anymore. My face hurts!"

Staring at him, I spelled out clearly, "If I ever hear you say such things again, I don't mind finding you another father."

"How dare you!" Jenny completely lost it. She rushed over and slapped me hard across the face before shoving me with all her strength.

We had been standing at the top of the stairs. Since I'd been caught off guard, my body tilted backward, and I tumbled down the staircase.

The housekeepers at the villa were experts at reading the room and siding with whoever they could benefit from the most. As a result, no one stepped forward to help me.

The back of my head slammed against the sharp edge of a step. Something warm immediately began to flow. I reached up and touched my head. My hand came away bright red.

Ever since the system forcibly dragged me into this world, my body had only gotten worse by the day.

The blood loss made my vision go black. As my consciousness blurred, I heard Jenny's and Ryan's voices drifting down from the top of the stairs.

"Mommy, can Uncle Aaron be my new daddy now?"

"Not yet. Your deadbeat father still hasn't completely handed the company over to me."

…

When I woke up again, I was already in the hospital, the sharp smell of disinfectant stinging my face.

Hugo was sitting by the bed. When he saw that I was awake, he immediately asked, his expression furious, "Did that damn bitch hit you again?"

I nodded.

Meanwhile, the system realized it could no longer hide the truth from me, so it resorted to a pitiful ploy.

Using a whiny, high-pitched voice, it tearfully explained, "Host, your son is the male lead of the next installment, which I'm also in charge of… If you leave, he'll transform into a villain! I only told Jenny about it because I had no choice…"

I closed my eyes. I didn't even have the strength to argue with the system.

"So you sold me out?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

Afraid that I'd get too agitated, Hugo patted my hand and said, "There, there. Calm down. The person you planted is already in position, right? Jenny won't be able to keep this up much longer."

The moment he finished speaking, the hospital room door opened, and Jenny walked in. She'd changed into a new outfit.

Staring down at me, she said, "I've already discussed it with your system. You won't be able to leave. Who's going to look after Ryan if you do?"

My lips twitched, which made the wound on my face throb. "What do you mean? A CEO like you can't afford to hire a nanny? If that doesn't work, you can just marry Aaron and let him take care of your son. Problem solved."

"Nathan!" Jenny shrieked like a cat whose tail got stepped on. "Just what did I do that's so wrong, huh? All I want is for my son to have a complete family! Aaron and I are just friends!"

At that very moment, there was a knock on the door.

Eric Cassidy, Jenny's personal nutritionist, came in with a thermal lunchbox. "I've brought you your dinner, Ms. Green. You'll be having shrimp scampi today. Don't forget to take your daily vitamins after eating."

I looked up and met Eric's gaze. He gave me an almost imperceptible nod.

In my heart, I silently counted the days. It was happening soon.

After Jenny finished her dinner, the doctor happened to come in to change my dressing. She immediately took the tray from the doctor.

Acting like the most virtuous and dutiful wife, she said in a gentle voice, "Let me do it. How can we trouble the doctor with this sort of thing?"

What a brilliant actress she was. She should be winning awards for her acting.

Just as she held the cotton swab, pretending to tend to the wound on my forehead, her bodyguard suddenly shoved the door open, calling out urgently, "Ms. Green! Mr. Fuller says he's having severe chest pain!"